


postbellum

by Rethira



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Fuck Or Die, Sex Pollen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 04:16:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/793864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rethira/pseuds/Rethira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The flowers can be deadly," Kratos says.</p>
            </blockquote>





	postbellum

It’s difficult to say what’s real and what’s not these days, but Zelos is fairly sure the man sitting across from him is real. He’s not the man Zelos has wanted to see for all this time, not even close. Even Kratos is better than nothing, and Kratos can’t have been sent here for more torment. Nothing he could say would hurt Zelos. Nothing at all.

“So, how’re you holding up?” Zelos asks.

Kratos blinks slowly and shrugs. “As well as can be expected.”

Zelos chuckles mirthlessly and says, “Yeah. He’s not the most gracious of hosts, huh?”

Kratos shrugs again and glances around the room they’re in. When he sets eyes on the flowers growing off to one side, his breath catches in his throat.

“What?” Zelos asks. “They’re just flowers, aren’t they?”

“No,” Kratos says shortly. “I thought they’d died out long ago.” His eyes flick briefly towards Zelos. “They’re soporific; the elves used to cultivate them for sleeping drafts.”

“Trust Mithos to preserve it, huh?” Zelos comments.

“Indeed,” Kratos replies. He frowns. “But it was too dangerous to use in its purest form. Even inhaling the pollen-”

At his sudden silence, Zelos looks up; Kratos has the strangest expression on his face.

“What?”

“It can be deadly,” Kratos replies. “It _is_ deadly. The elves stopped using it, because too many people died from inhaling the pollen. There were treatments if they found you- but often you’d fall asleep before death.”

For a moment there’s silence. Then Zelos laughs. “So what, he’s finally decided to off us then?”

Kratos does not meet Zelos’ eyes. “No. I should imagine Mithos knows that I recall the... well, it was not a cure. But it helped stave off the effects, at least until help came.”

“And?”

Kratos takes a breath. “Sexual intercourse.”

“Oh.”

Another silence falls.

“If it’s all the same to you,” Zelos says, “I think I’d prefer dying to having to sleep with you.”

Kratos laughs mirthlessly. “I expected as much. And I am... in agreement.”

After a beat, Zelos says, “Lloyd’s going to be so mad with us, huh?”

Kratos looks down at his hands, his hair shadowing his face. He does not reply.

Zelos sighs, and lapses into silence. Apart from the flowers and Kratos, the room is empty. Death can’t come fast enough.

Time passes slowly. Every so often, Zelos yawns. It occurs to Zelos, after a while, that Kratos probably won’t actually go to sleep. He’ll have to sit there and just wait. And even then- what’s to say he won’t just live on in his Cruxis Crystal? Mithos had taken Zelos’, but Kratos still has his.

“Are you going-” Zelos stops. He doesn’t _like_ Kratos, not even enough to pretend to be worried about him. “What’s going to happen to you?” he asks instead.

Kratos doesn’t ask what Zelos means. “My body will shut down. My consciousness will transfer to the crystal.” He shrugs, as if it doesn’t matter to him.

Zelos swallows. “That’s sick.”

Kratos looks briefly towards the flowers. “My wife was trapped in Lloyd’s exsphere.”

There isn’t really anything Zelos can say to that.

He lies down eventually, and mumbles, “Hey. Think you can cast enough magic to burn me when I die?”

“Yes,” Kratos says.

“Thanks. Apologise to Lloyd for me.”

“I will.”

Zelos falls asleep. He does not wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> i really didn't want to write this but my friend tammi told me to and i hope she's happy


End file.
